People still read books? I thought the majority of adults get their information and knowledge via memes these days.
the dharma bums, Siddhartha, Tuesdays w moorie, there are no secrets (memoir about Tai chi), life 101, the peaceful warrior, the blue zones (more to come)
CuddleHugs01234
I can understand that. But if it shaped it, it would be a continuous impact.
@JohnR1972 You got three I haven’t read on there.
@Minestrone101 That meme! It’s a similar thing with me, after I put my hands on a new book and it consumes me for a week!
@zerolight40 Yes sir. one of my favorite quotes is here.
@CuddleHugs01234 - 100% agree. That is why I did not list the Bible in my post.
@SweetPeaJen interesting - the first few that came to mind for me also center the Holocaust.
Waiting For Anya, by Michael Morpurgo / Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry -
I don't remember which of these I read first in elementary school, but I know the former was given to me by my teacher due to the titular character's name being like mine (Anya/Anja). Both books both transported me and broke my heart as I empathized with the children so different and yet so similar to myself. They started my fixation on the Holocaust and historical fiction/non-fiction in general.
Mein Kampf -
Not much later, middle school, I read my father's 1960s edition of the book in German with the help of dictionaries and patience since my German wasn't that great yet. The book was one part fascinating, one part confusing, and probably three parts horrifying as I was old enough and educated enough on the Holocaust and WWII to know just how well Hitler followed his plans. My confusion came from not yet being emotionally mature enough to handle the dichotomy of Hitler being a human with hopes and dreams, a history, and not just a monster. Since then, I've learned a lot more about his childhood, mental health, and other contributing factors - but that book still stands as a testament to the damage people with untreated traumas and mental disorders given ultimate power can do. We can empathize with and mourn for the child who was abused without condoning or excusing the actions of the adult they become.
The Messiah Code, by Michael Gordy -
While not the best book I've ever read, it was a good read and introduced me to some philosophical topics at a time as a young adult when I was really solidifying what my spiritual and philosophical beliefs were. The book was originally written before Dan Brown's DaVincini Code, but has similar thriller-religious vibes with a science twist. Unfortunately the science hasn't quite held up as it has progressed the past 20 years, but the book is still pretty decent.
I don't want to spoil the book's plot too much for any who might want to read it, but essentially it explores the intersection between (late-90s) cutting edge DNA technology and the very core of the Abrahamic religions. At the time I read the book I was also taking philosophy of religion courses and discussing how the Catholic Church explained the miracles of the Bible to pagans to convince them to convert...and there's a lot of cross over with this book. I've never been religious, but rather more a spiritual agnostic who believes that science and religion are simply both tools explaining the same universe from different perspectives, so reading a book that tackled that through fiction while also learning about historical philosophers who did the same had a big part in shaping my views.
Feminism Is For Everybody, by bell hooks -
This book was required reading during a women's studies class in college, and it was my first introduction to intersectionality in feminism and social justice as a whole. It really helped me see how all these different parts of our identities interweave and impact our lives, and how politics plays a role in shaping which identities have power and which do not. It was during this class that I moved from being apathetic about politics to being passionate about advocacy and involved in social justice causes. This book was published in 2000, but it has held up remarkably and remains one of the best books on intersectional feminism and why it truly is a cause for every human.
Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein / The Ethical Slut, by Janet Hardy / Polysecure, by Jessica Fern & Eve Rickert -
I'm lumping these three together as they represent my progression through discovering polyamory/ethical non-monogamy and gradually evolving into the person I am today. I first read Stranger in a Strange Land back in middle school, and I remember how unphased I was by the non-traditional relationships depicted in it. It's well known as one of the most main-stream early depictions of free love and group marriages, and it is partial from depictions of communal relationships in this book that many later polyamorists started the ethical non-monogamy movement. While much of Heinlein's views have not held up well to time (ex. on homosexuality, misogyny, consent), this book was still a point where I can recognizably remember thinking "wow, it'd be nice to be able to have relationships like that"...long before I even really know polyamory was actually "a thing".
Fast forward more than a decade and I had not only learned about polyamory, but was suspecting I had always been polyamorous by romantic orientation. I was voraciously reading every book and blog I could get my eyes on, and of course the "bible" of ethical non-monogamy was one of those - The Ethical Slut. This book covered topics about opening up relationships, discussing boundaries, negotiating agreements, different styles of relationships I hadn't even considered - and all of it just cemented for me I was on the right path. It's definitely more a sex-centric book, which is why the third book is important.
Polysecure covers all the nitty-gritty emotional issues that Ethical Slut only grazes over. It discusses in depth the concept of jealousy and other negative emotions that can come up in relationships, whether monogamous or not, and healthier ways of coping with them rather than trying to control one's partner. This book was the missing piece my then fiance and I needed to settle in to an open relationship comfortably and it went a long way towards me understanding attachment theory and how it was impacting us.
Also -
Not a book, and often maligned due to being open source, but Wikipedia is something that I read continuously that has had a lasting and continuous impact on my views of the world.
I was that nerdy kid in grade school who would read the dictionaries and encyclopedias for fun, so that naturally evolved into reading Wikipedia once it launched. Bored and have time to kill? Wikisurf. Can't sleep and need to borr my brain to sleep? Wikisurf. Need a quick primer on a topic? Wiki search, followed by followup on the main linked source. Need a jumping off place for research on a topic? Targeted wikisurfing utilizing the reference links.
To me, Wikipedia is kind of what the internet is all about - the free sharing of information, continuously evolving, across cultures and languages. It's constantly being fact checked by readers, updated and tweaked. It's a living document that will never be finished. And I've learned so much from it, have been sent down so many new tangents and interests, that I truly cannot imagine what my worldview would be like without having had it.
@cuddlefaery Thank you so much for those.
And thank you to everyone who submits recommendations. I’ll check back here from time to time. I’ll remember this next time I’m in a bookshop on Charing Cross Road.
@Will564 @TxTom @achetocuddle Agreed. I can't think of a particular book that drastically changed my worldview. I did read voraciously when I was younger, though. 📚
Most mindset shifts happened through...
Unfortunately, my worldview was initially shaped through brainwashing, emotional abuse, and childhood trauma.
@Platypus0110 posted: "I find it telling how many people don't consider the Bible to change their view."
@CuddleHugs01234 posted: "they were raised with it, so it didn’t change their worldview but helped form it."
Exactly. I was raised with the Bible and it was always there...that, along with my parents' choice to homeschool all the way through, and keep me extremely isolated, greatly shaped my worldview as a child and teenager. But the Bible didn't have anything to do with changing my worldview. Moreso the opposite. (I'm just stating what my childhood involved, but just so we all know, religious debate isn't allowed on the site. 🫂)
~ Sunset Snuggles
🦄 Enthusiast 🏞 Travel Fiend 🐘 Animal Lover
When I was in kindergarten I was taken to the library and told that if I was curious about anything, I could go there and find a book about it to learn anything I wanted to learn.
Every teacher and authority I have ever encountered has come to regret that day.
Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan Cain
Changed my whole view of my self with overwhelming validation
@SBG
This is another good one.
The Powerful Purpose of Introverts By Holley Gerth
@SBG have you also read The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron? That one also tends to resonate with a lot of introverts. I debated including both books on my list, but for me they didn't really shape my worldview, more just acted as validation of what I already knew about myself 🤷🏻♀️
@cuddlefaery No, but I think I've heard of it. I'll make sure to take a look!